Michigan's Chris Webber, left, and Jalen Rose were the stars of the Fab Five in 1993. / Paul Sancya, AP

by Rachel George and Eric Prisbell, USA TODAY Sports

by Rachel George and Eric Prisbell, USA TODAY Sports

ATLANTA - A crop of five freshmen helped Michigan get back to the national championship game, but it was the original Fab Five that created a buzz at the Georgia Dome on Monday night.

The heralded group that led the Wolverines to back-to-back national championship games reunited for the first time since a major infractions case that led to their biggest star being disassociated from the school.

Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Ray Jackson, Jimmy King and - yes, most notably - Chris Webber were in attendance to support fourth-seeded Michigan against Louisville in the title game.

"I know you guys were surprised," Rose said after Webber arrived Monday. "I am not surprised that he came. We've been friends since we were 12 years old."

Rose added: "I knew he was going to be here and I'm excited that he's here. It's great for the university, it's great for him and it's great for the players.

"I just wanted to let him know and let the world know, we're a family. We're brothers. That's the great thing about team sports."

They cheered on many Michigan players who weren't born when the school last competed in a national final two decades ago.

"That's what we're here to do, just like the rest of the Michigan fans, the rest of the Michigan alumnus," Rose said. "I love this team. I love the demeanor, the effort that they play with, the focus that they have and I wouldn't miss being here for anything."

Webber's presence proved the most significant and came after Rose, now a commentator for ESPN, campaigned for him to move past hard feelings and reunite with the group.

"While he loves us like brothers, and vice versa, there has been a communication separation that has basically taken place since we were teammates," Rose said on Bill Simmons' podcast on Sunday.

It was Michigan's first trip to the title game since the Fab Five led them here in 1993, an appearance that was later vacated because of NCAA violations involving Webber. His bitter falling out with the school came after the NCAA in 2003 required the school to disassociate him and three other players for 10 years, a punishment that ends in 30 days.

But it seems those old wounds may be healing.

"It's great to see everyone embracing the basketball program again," said Desmond Howard, who won the Heisman Trophy for the Wolverines in 1991. "It's like a family."

Webber was the centerpiece of the team that fell to Duke and North Carolina, respectively, in the 1992 and 1993 title games.

Before the sanctions, there was the timeout. Webber's call late in the game vs. the Tar Heels came when Michigan had no timeouts remaining. The resulting technical foul effectively thwarted the team's chance for a comeback.

"I think the timeout had a lot to do with it," Rose said on the podcast. "I think he wants to disassociate himself with that moment and with that school - in theory, with us - to kind of rebuild his life mentally to say, 'My career started my rookie year in the NBA.' That's unfortunate."

Webber left for the NBA after his sophomore year, but he became the subject of a school and federal investigation for his ties with booster Ed Martin, who said Webber accepted $280,000 in cash and gifts loaned to him starting when he was in eighth grade.

Among the numerous sanctions leveled against the program, the school vacated the 1992 Final Four and the entire 1992-93 season. The banners from those years were taken down.

Disassociating the players involved with the infractions followed, and Webber has had a strained relationship with his alma mater since. He moved past that Monday even as the Wolverines' bid for a first national title since 1989 fell short.